LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A Democratic state senator from northeast Arkansas resigned Tuesday after an ethics panel said he spent thousands of dollars from his re-election campaign on personal items such as women’s clothing and home theater equipment.

Sen. Paul Bookout of Jonesboro announced he was stepping down immediately following last week’s decision by the Arkansas Ethics Commission to fine him $8,000 and reprimand him over the spending. Bookout has served in the state Senate since 2006.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of the state of Arkansas,” Bookout wrote in a letter to state Senate President Michael Lamoureux.

Bookout did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday. He said last week that he would reimburse his campaign $49,000 and repay contributors over the findings.

The Ethics Commission said Bookout’s spending included $5,043 for women’s clothing and accessories, $8,402 for home theater equipment and installation, and $1,305 for golf equipment at a country club. The panel also said that more than $18,000 from the campaign was transferred to Bookout’s personal bank account.

The panel ruled that Bookout violated four state campaign finance laws. Bookout did not have an opponent in the primary or general election last year and reported raising nearly $81,000. His campaign reported spending more than $63,000.

Bookout served as president of the state Senate in the 2011 and 2012 legislative sessions. He was the last Democrat to head the chamber before Republicans won control of the state Legislature in the November election.

Bookout resigned the same day that a special prosecutor was named to investigate the spending and determine whether any charges should be filed. Judge Brent Davis appointed Jack McQuary to handle Bookout’s case after a local prosecutor said he and Bookout attend the same church.

Lamoureux, R-Russellville, said he believed Bookout made the best move by stepping down from his seat.

“I just think it was going to be very difficult to move forward,” Lamoureux said. “I think it would have made it hard for him to serve the way he wanted to.”

Gov. Mike Beebe also believed Bookout’s resignation was the “right thing to do” under the circumstances, spokesman Matt DeCample said. The governor, who received Bookout’s resignation late Tuesday afternoon, had not asked Bookout to step down, DeCample said.

Beebe will ask the state Democratic and Republican parties whether they want to choose their nominees through a convention or primary before setting a date for a special election to replace Bookout.

Bookout’s term ends in January 2017. He was barred by term limits from seeking re-election.

Bookout served six years in the state House of Representatives and was elected to the Senate in 2006 to fill the remainder of his late father’s term. Sen. Jerry Bookout died in 2006 and was Senate president in 1991-1992.

Before taking over as Senate president in 2011, Bookout said he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps in leading the 35-member chamber.

“I try to bring folks together,” Bookout told The Associated Press then. “I guess I could be perceived as having an easygoing style about me, but I don’t want anyone to perceive that as a weakness, because I will stand up the minute for something I believe is the right thing.”

Bookout’s resignation is the latest headache for Democrats, who are trying to rebound from the GOP’s takeover of the state Legislature. He’s also the latest in a string of elected officials in the state to resign in recent years over ethics questions.

Treasurer Martha Shoffner resigned in May after she was arrested and accused of steering state investments to a bond broker who gave her more than $36,000 in cash. Shoffner, a Democrat, goes on trial in March.

Last year, Democratic state Rep. Hudson Hallum resigned his seat after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit election fraud in a scheme that included destroying ballots and exchanging money and food for votes.